Ex-AAP leader Tahir Hussain, 4 others get life term in Ankit Sharma murder case

A Delhi court has sentenced former AAP councillor Tahir Hussain and four others to life imprisonment for the murder of Intelligence Bureau staffer Ankit Sharma during the 2020 Delhi riots. Calling it a "very serious incident", the court said the crime had shaken society and compelled people to reflect on how the entire episode unfolded.

In Short

• Convicts found guilty of murder, criminal conspiracy in Ankit Sharma case
• Death penalty plea rejected due to lack of evidence on convicts' violent nature
• IB staffer Ankit Sharma killed during 2020 northeast Delhi riots, body found in drain

A Delhi court on Friday sentenced former AAP councillor Tahir Hussain and four other convicts to life imprisonment in the murder case of Intelligence Bureau (IB) staffer Ankit Sharma, who was killed during the 2020 northeast Delhi riots. The court awarded life imprisonment to Tahir Hussain, Nazim, Qasim, Javed and Anas, all of whom were convicted earlier this month for murder, criminal conspiracy and other serious offences.

While pronouncing the sentence, the court described the crime as "very serious" and observed that the incident had shaken the conscience of society. It said the manner in which the events unfolded forced society to reflect on the brutality witnessed during the communal violence.

The judge noted that the murder was committed during the communal riots in northeast Delhi and that the offence was carried out with "utmost brutality" solely on account of the victim's religion. "The manner in which the crime was committed was of utmost brutality, done solely on the ground of religion," the court observed.

Referring to the treatment of the victim's body, the court said Ankit Sharma's body was dragged "like that of an animal" up to Chand Bagh Pulia before being thrown into a drain. "The barbarity committed is nauseating and sickening," the judge remarked while delivering the sentencing order.

Despite these observations, the court declined the Delhi Police's plea for capital punishment. The prosecution had sought the death penalty for all the convicts, arguing that the case fell within the "rarest of rare" category.

However, the court held that the prosecution had failed to place any material on record showing that the five convicts had a violent disposition or a continuing propensity to commit such crimes. It also noted that none of the convicts had any previous criminal involvement.

The court observed that the convicts could be disciplined and made to follow the rule of law. It further said that while there is no legal bar on awarding the death penalty, a sentence of death requires circumstances beyond mere participation in an unlawful assembly and the commission of the offence.

On July 13, the Karkardooma Court had convicted Tahir Hussain, Nazim, Qasim, Javed and Anas under charges including murder and criminal conspiracy in connection with Sharma's killing.

Ankit Sharma, an IB staffer, was killed during the communal violence that erupted in northeast Delhi in February 2020. His body was later recovered from a nearby drain, making the case one of the most high-profile prosecutions arising out of the riots.

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